AFGE calls on lawmakers to halt cuts to federal pay, benefits

Nov. 19, 2012 - 04:12PM
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The largest union of federal employees has a simple message for Congress: Don’t cut federal pay and benefits any more.

The American Federation of Government Employees sent letters Nov. 14 to every member of Congress stating that already approved cuts will reduce feds’ pay and benefits by $103 billion over the next 10 years and that any future legislation should spare federal employees.

“To date, federal employees and their families are the lone group of Americans who have made sacrifices to deficit reduction,” Beth Moten, AFGE legislative and political director, wrote in the letter.

She highlighted the ongoing pay freeze and the 0.5 percent raise proposed for 2013, now delayed until at least April, as examples of pay and benefit cuts.

Moten said Congress should reduce the deficit instead by lowering the cap on salary reimbursements contractors can charge the government. The cap is currently $763,000 a year for defense contractors but is applied to only the top five executives for non-DoD contractors.

Moten estimated that lowering the cap to $200,000 would save at least $5 billion a year.

“With budget cuts looming, it is fiscally irresponsible to allow private contractors to get away with this,” Moten said in the letter.